


Exhaustion is Bitter

by Lunachu



Category: SHINee
Genre: Band Love, Fainting, Gen, Taeminnie is exhausted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-10
Updated: 2014-05-10
Packaged: 2018-01-24 06:52:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1595651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunachu/pseuds/Lunachu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Taemin hasn't been feeling himself lately, exhausted to the point of collapse with the lead up to Sherlock's release. Fluffy Angst follows...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Exhaustion is Bitter

Key was worried. 

Well, if was more than just worried, but Key couldn’t find an adequate word for the ball of dread that curled in his stomach every time he looked at their Maknae recently. Taemin looked positively dead; he walked around with a large fake smile pasted on that young face, while dark bags hung below his eyes and his back slumped whenever he thought the other band members weren’t watching him.

Key knew that they were all tired, their schedules has been packed in preparation for the release of Sherlock. Interviews, dance practices, recording, shows... all of it was exhausting for all of them.

But Taemin looked like he hadn’t got a wink of sleep since the packed few weeks began. 

However, whenever Key, Jonghyun, Minho or Onew asked him, he gave them the same faked, sweet smile.

“I’m fine Hyung, just a little bit tired! Don’t worry!”

It wasn’t until 3 days before Sherlock released that they discovered just how far Taemin had been pushing himself.

They stood in the familiar dance room, blue sky and clouds painted behind them, watching themselves in the mirror as they went through the dance routine they’d memorized weeks ago, hair tied up out of their faces so they wouldn’t get distracted by it, moving through the dance step by step in perfect sync.

That is until Taemin stumbled and fell behind.

This alone was enough to send Key into a frenzy, Taemin was the lead dancer, he always learnt the dance and had perfected it long before the others could go through it without forgetting steps, he hardly ever lost his balance while dancing. It was his element, he was always so graceful and balanced while dancing. Key noticed Jonghyun watching Taemin from the corner of his eye as the Maknae struggled to catch up to the others.

When he stumbled again, this time ending up on his hands and knees, Onew turned the music off without a second thought, hurrying to his side.

“Taemin? Are you alright?”

That stupid fake grin spread across Taemin’s face. “I’m fine, Onew-hyung, just got a little bit dizzy...”

Onew frowned. “Dizzy?” He gently took Taemin’s upper arm, pulling him to a chair and forcing him to sit, Key quickly sitting next to him. “Jonghyun, could you go get a bottle of water please?” Jonghyun nodded, hurrying out of the room.

Key placed a hand on Taemin’s forehead. “Minnie, you’re burning up. Are you sure you’re okay?”

This time, Taemin didn’t grin up at them, he just nodded very slightly, not meeting their eyes.

“Tae..? You’ve gone pale...”

Taemin gave a small smile. “I’m fine.” With that said, he stood up, despite Minho’s demand for him to stay sat.

The Maknae probably should have listened to Minho, because within seconds of standing, the boy was left sprawled on the floor in a boneless heap.

“T-Taemin!” Onew cried, falling to his knees beside the boy, gently rolling him over onto his back, Minho and Key taking either side, worry clear on their faces. 

“Minnie? Taemin can you hear me? Come on Taemin, look at me...” Onew said while gently shaking Taemin’s shoulder, his voice trembling lightly in fear. 

Taemin stirred, blinking once, twice, then slowly shifting his gaze to Onew beside him. It was now that Jonghyun hurried through the door once more, a bottle of water in his hands, condensation on the plastic.

Onew let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, running a hand through his mass of hair in an attempt to calm his nerves. “Lee Taemin if you ever do that to us again...”

Jonghyun frowned, joining them on the floor. “What happened?”

“Taemin fainted.” Minho supplied, sighing loudly in an attempt to calm his own nerves. “He stood up even though we told him to stay where he was and next thing we know he’s on the floor.”

“...Hyungs?” Taemin asked in a small voice, brow furrowed and confused.

“Yeah Minnie, we’re here.” Key smiled, reaching down and taking Taemin’s shoulders, helping him to slowly sit up. “So what’s been going on with you then? You stumbled twice then passed out, Tae...”

“I’m fine.”

“Lee Taemin I swear if you lie to us one more time...” Jonghyun looked pissed. Taemin, rightfully, cowered a little, before looking to the floor, tears in his eyes. 

Key glared at Jonghyun, leaning forward and wrapping an arm around Taemin’s shoulders. “You can tell us what’s wrong, Tae..”

Taemin mumbled under his breath.

“What was that?” Minho asked, leaning forward a little.

“I’ve...not been sleeping very well recently is all...”

The other four members waited a few seconds for him to expand, but when their youngest stayed silent, Key pushed for more.

“And...? The reason for you not being to sleep is...?”

“...I’ve been getting bad dreams...” Taemin replied, seeming to find a spot on the floor very interesting since he didn’t look up from it once. 

Onew frowned, sitting down properly instead of being kneeled, and crossing his legs. “Nightmares?”

Taemin nodded.

Jonghyun sighed. “Do you wanna talk about it? Maybe it’ll help.”

Taemin shook his head, making to stand. “No, we have to practice, Sherlock is released soon and Manager-ssi will be angry if we slack off.”

Key glared, that enough making Taemin stop in his tracks. “Sit. You just fainted, you’re not dancing for the rest of today.”

“But hyu-”

“But nothing. Sit.” 

Taemin grumbled, but settled himself back on the floor.

“Now tell us what you’ve been dreaming about.

“Really, Hyung, it’s nothing important...” The collective glares of the other four members stopped Taemin in his tracks, making him sigh. “Fine...in my dream, we’re at practice, we’ve just finished recording and we’re about to rehearse a dance, but then Manager-ssi comes in to talk to us, it’s the same dream every night... he’s pointing at me, jabbing his finger in my chest and shouting. I’m not good enough, I’m falling behind, I don’t deserve to be in SHINee, it’s always the same... maybe these dreams mean something...”

“Of course they mean something.” Onew supplied. “It means you’re a teenager who’s had a lot of pressure placed on him form an early age, don’t worry about it Taemin. You’re the best at the dances, you’ve been getting more lines recently, all the Shawols love you... you have nothing to worry about. Manager-ssi is so proud of how much effort you’re putting in.”

Taemin looked up at his leader, big brown eyes shining with tears.

“Honestly, Taemin, it’s okay. Manager is never going to say that stuff to you. You’re good enough; you’ve always been good enough. You learn the dances and perfect them weeks before us...Taemin, you were only 14 when we debuted, it’s okay to be worried and scared, but you have nothing to worry about!” Key reassured, placing his manicured hand on the top of their Maknae’s head. 

Taemin sniffed pathetically, wiping his eyes clean of tears. “Really...?” He asked pitifully.

“Really.” Jonghyun replied, pulling the youngest in for a hug. Key, Onew and Minho quickly joined in, cuddling the boy until he was huddled in the middle of them, giggling madly as he fought to escape the ‘Hyung Cage’. 

They left the studio a few hours after that, after having made sure Taemin had some water and food inside him and the others had practiced the dance enough that the day hadn’t been a waste.

It was no surprise when Taemin had fallen asleep in the back of the car, face smushed against the window, dead to the world.

Minho had carried him inside and to bed, the group wasting no time in getting changed out of their practice clothes, showering and climbing into bed with Taemin, each making sure to be touching Taemin in some way. Jonghyun had his arm around Taemin’s shoulders, holding the Maknae’s face into his chest, Key’s hand was placed on Taemin’s head, his fingers running through his now long hair, Minho held one of Taemin’s hands and Onew had his face snuggled into the small of Taemin’s back.

It wasn’t often they slept like this, but when they did, it was usually Taemin who had initiated it.

Taemin slept through the night for the first time in weeks, the dream was still there, but it didn’t panic him as much as it had previously. When he awoke in the morning, he couldn’t help but giggle about being back inside the ‘Hyung Cage’.

“Thank you, Hyungs...”


End file.
